Time to get physical

UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL Media release Time to get physical

The new £5 million Centre for Sport, Exercise and Health in Tyndall Avenue, Clifton, will be officially opened by Richard Caborn, MP, Minister for Sport, on Thursday, October 17.

The four-storey Centre is geared up for everyone from casual exercisers looking for fun and fitness to elite athletes aiming to compete at the highest levels.

The Centre includes a state-of-the-art fitness suite (The Pulse) on the first floor, incorporating a range of exercise equipment and a free weights room. The first floor also contains two exercise studios, one used mainly for exercise classes and the other for martial arts and fencing.

On the second floor there is a double-court sports hall for badminton, five-a-side football, basketball, netball and volleyball with a balcony that doubles as a jogging track.

On the ground floor is the Exercise and Sports Medicine Workshop. This offers a range of services, available to anyone, from physiotherapy to massage and osteopathy, as well as pilates and 'start to exercise' sessions.

A unique feature is the inclusion of Bristol University's highly regarded academic Department of Exercise and Health Sciences headed by Professor Ken Fox. The department's research and postgraduate teaching focuses on exercise, nutrition and public health and links with the overall theme of the building which is sport and exercise for everyone.

The new Centre will also extend the already successful community programme, which includes Over '60s classes, exercise programmes for people not used to exercise and a 'Healthy Hearts' cardiac rehabilitation class.

The building is open from 7.15am to 10.30pm from Monday to Friday and from 8am to 8pm at weekends.

Membership of the Centre is available to University students, staff and families of staff. There is also a limited number of associate and external memberships.

Bob Reeves, the University's Director of Sport, Exercise and Health, said: 'The new sports centre is a fantastic addition to a great range of facilities. It's got so much to offer people, whether they just want to get a bit fitter or to train seriously. Users will find that it provides commercial-standard facilities with the best-qualified staff to be found in the region.'

For details of all the facilities, activities and membership schemes, see www.bristol.ac.uk/sport or call reception on Bristol 928 8810.

The Centre is owned by Oval (717) Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary company of Bristol University. The company will also be running the Centre.